Sunday, October 20, 2013

The leaves are starting to change here in Washington, D.C., and finally the weather is getting that great fall crispness. So when I saw this recipe from My Baking Addiction come through on my Facebook feed, I knew I was going to have to set aside one weekend this October to bake some fall-flavored cupcakes.

Pumpkin Ale Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes -

1 - 12oz. bottle of pumpkin ale

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Buttercream -

4 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

2 pounds confectioners' sugar

6 Tbsp pumpkin ale

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the ale, milk, oil, and vanilla.

3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, on low speed

4. Add sour cream and mix until fully incorporated

5. Mix together dry ingredients in a separate bowl

6. Gradually mix the dry ingredients with the wet using the stand mixer (batter will stay thin)

7. Fill liners in cupcake pan to approximately 2/3-3/4 full

8. Bake 25 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan before putting on a wire rack

9. For the buttercream, cream the butter in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer

10. Add vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and salt

11. Slowly add confectioners' sugar until completely mixed in before adding more

12. Add pumpkin ale and mix until light and fluffy

13. Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes, using more teaspoons of pumpkin ale if the buttercream is too thick.